Syracuse man accused of punching teen in church for making rude gesture at the man’s daughter

A Syracuse man faces two counts of child abuse after being accused of punching a 15-year-old boy in the jaw at church.

The Davis County Attorney’s office has filed charges — one third-degree felony, one Class A misdemeanor — this week against a 40-year-old man over an incident in a Syracuse church on May 6.

According to the probable cause statement, the man told a Syracuse Police officer the boy made a sexual gesture toward the man’s daughter. The man then called the boy back to where he was sitting and told the boy not to do that.

After that, the accounts differ.

The boy told the officer that he said he didn’t know what the man was talking about — which is when the man allegedly hit him in the jaw. The boy left the chapel, and the man followed him outside and grabbed him by the neck, the boy told the officer.

The man told the officer he followed the boy outside and grabbed him by the necktie. He denied to the officer that he punched or strangled the boy.

The indictment does not specify the church where the incident allegedly took place. The man will be served with a summons. No court date has been set.